(ISC)² Blog

Achieving Data Security and Analytics with AI - Member Recap from (ISC)² Security Congress 2022

A member recap of “Achieving Data Security and Analytics with AI” presented by Glendon Schmitz at (ISC)² Security Congress 2022. By Angus Chen, CISSP, CCSP, PMP, MBA Although “data is the new oil”, there are many problems with working on production data directly. Organizations encounter regulations to protect privacy such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fine for violating GDPR is 17 million British Pounds or 4% annual global turnover. Amazon was charged with U.S. $887 million, WhatsApp U.S. $267 million and Marriott 18 million British Pounds for data breaches. The list goes on and on. Furthermore, organizations sharing... Read more →

(ISC)² Board of Directors Election Results

The following individuals were elected to the Board and will begin their three-year term in January 2023: Laurie-Anne Bourdain, CISSP – Belgium Edward Farrell, SSCP, CISSP – Australia Nalneesh Gaur, CISSP-ISSAP – United States Guy Ngambeket, CISSP – United Arab Emirates Yiannis Pavlosoglou, CISSP – Greece Congratulations to our directors! The election ran from November 1-14, 2022, and 4,717 (ISC)² certified members voted in the election and results were independently tabulated and verified by our third-party election facilitator and audited by an independent third-party. The (ISC)² Board of Directors is responsible for: Strategic direction, governance and oversight for (ISC)² Developing... Read more →

Are Deepfakes Really a Security Threat? - Member Recap from (ISC)² Security Congress 2022

A member recap of Dr. Thomas Scanlon’s session at (ISC)² Security Congress 2022 by Angus Chen, CISSP, CCSP, MBA, PMP. Dr. Scanlon started his talk by showing images of women and posing a question to the audience: Can you spot the fake person? See the image to left. To my surprise, none of them are a real person! These images are generated by an AI algorithm, generative adversarial network (GAN), source: https://thispersondoesnotexist.com. In my opinion, it is a little creepy. Several websites today use data-driven unconditional generative image modeling to create deepfake images such as https://thisxdoesnotexist.com. According to CISA, a... Read more →

Latest Cyberthreats and Advisories - November 18, 2022

Beware the BatLoader, the NSA calls for more memory-safe programming language use and ransomware causes more trouble in Australia….Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of November 18, 2022. Threat Advisories and Alerts Researchers Sound Alarm on Dangerous BatLoader Malware Dropper A dangerous new malware loader with features for determining whether it's running on business or home computers has begun rapidly infecting systems worldwide over the past few months. Researchers at VMware Carbon Black claim the threat, dubbed BatLoader, is being used to distribute a variety of malware tools including a banking Trojan, an information stealer, and... Read more →

OT: The New Gold Mine for Hackers and How CDS Can Secure It

By Dr. Fulvio Arreghini, CSSLP, Head of International Sales at INFODAS GmbH. Fulvio is a CDR of the Italian Navy (reserve). He has an Master Degree in communication engineering and a PhD in Information engineering. During his active service in the Navy he’s been working mainly in the areas of Secure Tactical Communication and Command and Control systems, acting often also as security officer and risk manager. Since 2020 in the private sector, he joined Infodas at first as solution architect to later become head of international sales. Cyberattacks to operational technology (OT) are on the rise and the providers... Read more →

Build Your Network with (ISC)² and BUiLT

(ISC)² recently announced an expansion of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative through partnerships with several organizations around the world. “It’s no secret that the cybersecurity industry isn’t nearly as diverse as it should be,” said Dwan Jones, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at (ISC)². “Our mission at (ISC)² is to not only enable individuals from all backgrounds to enter the cybersecurity industry but also to empower and equip them to excel in their positions and continuously grow in their careers.” BUiLT (Blacks United in Leading Technology) is one of the DEI partners, and along with (ISC)² will... Read more →

Real Talk with CCSPs an Interview with Matt Lee, CCSP

What do you get when you cross a teacher with an entrepreneur who also has a passion for cybersecurity? You get Matt Lee. Matt is the Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, where he is a force multiplier in the mission to empower Managed Service Providers (MSP) to continue to grow in their security knowledge and operability. We recently had a chance to speak with Matt about his experiences, and to offer some solid advice to those who are looking to enhance their cloud security. Q: Could you tell us a little about your background, and how you... Read more →

LATEST CYBERTHREATS AND ADVISORIES - NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Microsoft security updates, Trojans attack Google and the SEC announces enforcement action for SolarWinds….Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of November 11, 2022. Threat Advisories and Alerts FBI Announces That Hacktivist DDoS Attacks Can Have Minimal Impact As Russian military attacks on Ukraine continue, hacktivists are using DDoS attacks to target critical infrastructure companies. The FBI has released a notification emphasizing that these attacks can have minimal impact with the right mitigations. Hacktivists often try to exaggerate and publicize the severity of their attacks by posting about them in the news and on social media. Their... Read more →

Avoiding Cloud Security Fails - Excerpts from (ISC)² Security Congress 2022

By Chinatu Uzuegbu, CISSP, CEO/Managing Cyber Security Consultant at RoseTech CyberCrime Solutions Ltd. (ISC)² Security Congress 2022 was a huge success with engaging speakers from around the world filled with insights. The theme of this year’s event was Empower a Safer, More Secure Cyber World and they certainly inspired many to do so. In this blog, we would be sharing the excerpts from Top Cloud Security Fails and How to Avoid Them delivered by Karl Ots, CISSP, Head of Cloud Security, EPAM and Linkedin Learning Instructor. (ISC)² Security Congress attendees can earn CPE credits by watching this and all other... Read more →

Considering a Career in Cybersecurity? Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

Regardless of what the economy or job market is doing, a career in cybersecurity promises near limitless possibilties. And with the current threats to cyber stability around the world, there’s never been a greater urgency for cybersecurity professionals. The latest research reveals a formidable gap in available talent — the workforce needs an influx of 2.7 million cybersecurity professionals to meet global demand.1 The data is obvious in its message. Cybersecurity is in dire need of skilled professionals and it’s costing organizations money. A recent study finds 64% experienced breaches that resulted in lost revenue and/or fines in the past... Read more →

LATEST CYBERTHREATS AND ADVISORIES - November 4, 2022

Cyberattacks on Dropbox, Europe’s biggest copper producer and another Australian business make this week’s headlines. Here are the latest threats and advisories for the week of November 4, 2022. Threat Advisories and Alerts Google Chrome Suffers Seventh Zero-Day Vulnerability of the Year Google has released an emergency update for its Chrome web browser to address its seventh zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2022-3723) of the year. If the security flaw is exploited, attackers could perform remote code execution, access memory regions that could crash applications or read sensitive information of other apps. Google Chrome users are advised to update their browsers immediately. Source:... Read more →

Elevating Diverse Voices: (ISC)² Announces Five Key DEI Partnerships

The 2022 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed a global workforce gap of 3.4 million professionals. While 55% of respondents believe diversity will increase among their teams within two years, it is no surprise that diversity in the cybersecurity industry is still lacking. To bridge the gap and effectively secure information and assets, we need to cast a wider net and embrace greater diversity within the profession – specifically, enabling individuals from all backgrounds to join the field and equip them with the right tools to succeed in their cybersecurity career journey. To empower individuals to continuously grow in their cybersecurity... Read more →

Building the Next Generation of Security and Privacy Professionals

The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and (ISC)² teamed up to dive into similar challenges facing security and privacy professionals in a constantly evolving world. The latest (ISC)² Workforce Study shows an IT background – either from education or work experience – remains the most common point of entry for cybersecurity roles as 63% of participants reported it as their path to cybersecurity. This percentage has lowered in recent years, giving way to a variety of other entry points. Today, just over one-third of cybersecurity professionals get their start outside of IT. This number continues to expand as the... Read more →

Effective Cybersecurity Board Reporting

By Allen Ari Dziwa, CISSP, CCSP a risk specialist and SME for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. He has worked in technology and cybersecurity consulting for 15 years. Allen currently serves on the Board of Directors of ISSA North Texas, E-Council’s Ethical Hacking Advisory Board and contributed to CISSP reviews for (ISC)². He is a certified ethical hacker and certified threat intelligence analyst. The purpose of a Board of Directors is to provide governance and hold senior management accountable, including implementing cybersecurity strategy within established cyber risk appetite. A goal for any organization is generating revenue from business activities,... Read more →